All the Time in the World
by Shayrazor
Summary: It didn't matter to him where they were going. After all, they were together and they had all the time in the world now. Character death, set in the future, etc.


**Don't ask. I've been reading way to many fics and I've been feeling depressed since I reread VoE. **

Yet another crack of cannon fire sounded in the busy night air. A spiked metal ball hurtled towards the dragon at an astounding speed. He twisted neatly but other wounds and the weariness of age finally took their toll.

The ball, much larger than it had seemed in the darkness, hit him in the side, breaking several ribs and bruising multiple important organs.

Temeraire let loose a roar, nearly a scream, in pain. His current captain, Sam, immediately cried out in terrified worry and sympathetic pain. He leaned low on his dragon's neck and encouraged him, begged him, to glide down and land behind the tree line and to safety.

The great black dragon obliged, stumbling as he hit the ground, and the dragon surgeon set to work right away.

What seemed like hours later, the surgeon spoke to Sam, who was kneeling by Temeraire's head, stroking his soft nose.

"We've removed the ball, but he's lost a lot of blood," The surgeon looked down at his bloodied hands, "You'd best… say your goodbyes."

Sam looked up, tears leaving clean trails down his sooty cheeks, "There's nothing… really nothing--" The captain broke down again.

"I'm sorry," The surgeon walked away to report. Losing a dragon was a terrible, terrible thing and if one could help it, they stayed away.

Sam didn't leave. Instead, he turned back to Temeraire and listened to him breathe.

"…'m sorry…"

Sam looked towards the dragon's eyes; they had opened. "No, my dear, you shouldn't speak. Not when you're injured like this," New tears came to the captain's eyes.

Sadly, the dragon was in his own world. "I'm sorry…Laurence. I…tried and," His voice was broken by huge, hacking coughs that shook his whole body.

When he had enough air, Temeraire began again, "I'm sorry I…couldn't protect them, Laurence…I'm sorry I broke my promise…that I didn't keep your son safe. And his son…I've had…so many captains…but you…you were always the best."

Sam sat there, still stroking Temeraire's head. Will Laurence's dragon was speaking to his first, and best, captain.

Temeraire's eyes were blinded by pain, as were his senses. In his mind, he was back on the deck of the _Allegiance_ and at the same time in his clearing at Dover. He was meeting Laurence for the first time and then promising him his newborn son wouldn't come to harm. Temeraire was being reunited with Laurence in the middle of Napoleon's invasion and, in the distant past, crossing the desert on their way home to England.

Every single moment he had shared with Laurence was being relived in his last few moments of life.

Sam sat there, completely ignored, as the greatest dragon in his, and anyone else's, time, experienced the happiest days of his life anew.

After what seemed like many agonizing years, Temeraire came back to the present and spoke again, "Sam," His voice was barely audible and hoarse, "I'm…sorry."

Sam started and cradled the great head in his lap. "No, dearest, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"You always came…second to Laurence…and I'm sorry… but…out of all my other captains…you were the most like him…"

Sam sat there, shell-shocked. The highest praise imaginable coming from the one he held dearest in his heart.

"You--" Sam's voice cracked and he had to try again, "Temeraire, you are the greatest dragon in all of England and there's no dragon I'd rather have served with than you."

If a dragon could cry, Temeraire would have done so then; those words echoed the ones Laurence had said to him so very long ago:

"…_no place I'd rather be than with you."_

It was almost as if Laurence was there beside him again, curled up on his foreleg, and speaking to him.

Sam froze as he felt no breath enter the dragon's body. He relaxed slightly when the next breath came.

Temeraire's eyes, nearly sightless with pain, just barely made out a figure entering his clearing.

Another breath, an even longer pause.

"_Temeraire? What are you doing there, my dear?" _

"Laurence?" Temeraire queried.

"_We have to leave. Please do get up; we need to get your harness on." _

The longest pause yet, but another breath came.

_Temeraire stood and shook himself. "Where are we going now, Laurence?" _

Sam waited for the next breath. He waited for a long time, but it never came.

"_Wherever we want to go, my dear." Temeraire lifted Laurence up in his claws and onto his back. His harness was already on. _

_Laurence smiled as he strapped himself in, "We can go anywhere in the world. Across the ocean to America or back to China." _

_Temeraire realized it didn't matter to him where they were going. He had Laurence with him and somewhere there were battles to be fought and books to be read. It didn't matter where they were going or when they got there. _

_After all, they had all the time in the world now. Nothing mattered as long as they were together. _


End file.
